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Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It affects more women than men above 50 years old. It is a degenerative joint disease that causes the protective cartilage around the joint ends to wear down with time. While it doesn’t affect daily activities in its early stage, the condition may be worse if you don’t take care of it. It affects the joints in the hips, lower back, knee, hands and neck.
What is Osteoarthritis?
It is an arthritic condition characterized by joint pain and stiffness usually after long periods of inactivity or rest. The symptoms may not be the same for everyone. For instance, some may experience mild pain while others may find swelling in and around the affected joint.
The condition occurs due to the breakdown of soft tissues surrounding a joint. In older people, the damage occurs due to ageing while in younger people it can occur due to joint injuries or an abnormal joint structure.
The early symptoms include pain in the joints of the hands, knee, lower back or hips. The sooner you consult with a professional, the quicker you can manage the condition and prevent it from worsening.
What are the Symptoms?
The symptoms seem mild initially. But, they start worsening with time if you don’t address the problems at an early stage. The common symptoms of osteoarthritis are:
It affects different people differently. For instance, some may find bony enlargements in their finger joints. Others may experience muscle weakness in the knees or stiffness in the hip joint. Stiffness and pain are also common in the neck or lower back.
What causes Osteoarthritis?
Cartilage is a slippery tissue that cushions the ends of bones in joints. With time, this cartilage wears down causing the bones to rub against each other. It starts with the breakdown of cartilage tissue. However, the condition affects the entire joint. It not only causes pain but also restricts the normal range of motion of that joint.
If not taken care of, it can further deteriorate the connective tissues that attach muscles to bone. The joint lining also swells up.
How can Physiotherapy Help?
Physiotherapy is the most recommended non-surgical treatment for osteoarthritis. It fixes abnormal joint structures, reduces pain, restores the optimal strength of muscles, improves the function of joints and helps patients move.
Physiotherapists run some physical tests to detect the exact underlying cause of the pain and the affected joints. Once that’s done, they focus on reducing arthritic pain and helping you gain optimal mobility in daily life. The common treatments include aerobic exercises, movement training, acupuncture, resistance training and physical therapy.
Doctors recommend physiotherapy to ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Consistent sessions full of exercises and movement training reduce pain, and swelling and improve your joint function.
Why Choose Legend Physiotherapy Clinic?
We offer a wide range of highly effective physiotherapy services to treat various forms of osteoarthritis. Our team diagnoses, assesses and helps you manage the condition without relying on medications or surgeries. We use a wide range of exercises such as standing hip abduction, step-ups or hamstring stretches to restore joint mobility.
We treat each patient individually. The goal of our treatments is to reduce your pain, promote stability and improve your range of motion. So, we prepare a unique treatment plan for every individual.
